Early Chinese immigrants worked in railroad construction, agriculture and commericial fishing. They came to the U.S. attracted by the promise of the Golden Mountain. They toiled in harsh weather and dangerous working conditions.
Governor Leland Stanforf reported to President Andrew Jackson,"Without them (the Chinese railroad workers) it would be impossible to complete the Western portion of this great national enterprise (The Transcontinental Railroad) within the time required by the Acts of Congress." The irony is that the Chinese were left out in the celebration of the completion of this railroad. They were not mentioned in newspapers and were not invited to the opening ceremony and the subsequent celebrations.
You can read about the Chinese railroad workers in Portraits of Pride Book II, in "Transportation: Iron Rail to Golden Spike, The Blook and Sweat of the Nameless Railroad Builders." The author, William F. Chew, is a grandson of a Central Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad worker. He also wrote a book, Nameless Builders of the Transcontinental Railroad. The research, interviews and writing took over five years and the book was published in 2004.
After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad the Chinese workers joined workers in agriculture in California. With this railroad in operation, California farm products were able to ship to as far as the East Coast.
As stated in Portraits of Pride Book II, "Agriculture: The Role of Chinese Immigrants in California's Farming Infrastructure" by Lucky Owyang and L.P. Leung:
" Agriculture workers from China's Pearl River Delta brought great experience and knowledge with them, including innovation in land clearing and centureis of experience in levee construction. Landowners in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region hired Chinese crews to carry out the backbreaking work, which the average Anglo worker did not want."
"...Today, greatly owing to early participation of Chinese labor, agriculture remains a principal component of California's wealth as well as the entire United States."
Commercial fishing by the Chinese immigrants in the West Coast began in the 1850s. Their knowledge in preservation of the seafood made it possible to ship them to other parts of the U.S. and overseas. The Chinese fishermen were the first to recognize the vast marine resources in California along the coast as well as the delta of the inland areas. They prospered and were met with hostilities stemmed from anti-Chinese feelings by the Anglos who viewed tham as inferior and greedy. The story of the Chinese fishing industry in California is laid out in Portraits of Pride Book II, "Fishing: Pioneers of California's Fishing Industry, A Story of Hardship, Fortitude, Resourcefulness, and Success in Commericial Fishing" by Linda Bentz.
Governor Leland Stanforf reported to President Andrew Jackson,"Without them (the Chinese railroad workers) it would be impossible to complete the Western portion of this great national enterprise (The Transcontinental Railroad) within the time required by the Acts of Congress." The irony is that the Chinese were left out in the celebration of the completion of this railroad. They were not mentioned in newspapers and were not invited to the opening ceremony and the subsequent celebrations.
You can read about the Chinese railroad workers in Portraits of Pride Book II, in "Transportation: Iron Rail to Golden Spike, The Blook and Sweat of the Nameless Railroad Builders." The author, William F. Chew, is a grandson of a Central Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad worker. He also wrote a book, Nameless Builders of the Transcontinental Railroad. The research, interviews and writing took over five years and the book was published in 2004.
After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad the Chinese workers joined workers in agriculture in California. With this railroad in operation, California farm products were able to ship to as far as the East Coast.
As stated in Portraits of Pride Book II, "Agriculture: The Role of Chinese Immigrants in California's Farming Infrastructure" by Lucky Owyang and L.P. Leung:
" Agriculture workers from China's Pearl River Delta brought great experience and knowledge with them, including innovation in land clearing and centureis of experience in levee construction. Landowners in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region hired Chinese crews to carry out the backbreaking work, which the average Anglo worker did not want."
"...Today, greatly owing to early participation of Chinese labor, agriculture remains a principal component of California's wealth as well as the entire United States."
Commercial fishing by the Chinese immigrants in the West Coast began in the 1850s. Their knowledge in preservation of the seafood made it possible to ship them to other parts of the U.S. and overseas. The Chinese fishermen were the first to recognize the vast marine resources in California along the coast as well as the delta of the inland areas. They prospered and were met with hostilities stemmed from anti-Chinese feelings by the Anglos who viewed tham as inferior and greedy. The story of the Chinese fishing industry in California is laid out in Portraits of Pride Book II, "Fishing: Pioneers of California's Fishing Industry, A Story of Hardship, Fortitude, Resourcefulness, and Success in Commericial Fishing" by Linda Bentz.
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